It sure doesn’t look or sound as if Jason Pierre-Paul is going to make the trip to San Diego this weekend, as his shoulder injury kept him off the field for Wednesday’s practice and there are no immediate plans for him to make a return. But, he insists, he wants to play again this season.

“Shutting it down isn’t in my [character],’’ Pierre-Paul said. “Otherwise I would have shut it down when I got the injury but that’s not an option for me. You never know what might happen. To shut it down and my team needs me badly, tha’s just very selfish of me and I’m not a selfish player. I’ll do anything to get back out there to get back on the field quicker.

“It will be worth it to me, even if I play the last game I’ll be happy that I came out there, rehabbed it. But I won’t be fully back to my natural self until next season. Everybody knows that, that’s no secret.’’

It’s been a while since the Giants have seen JPP back to his “natural self.’’ Coming off back surgery, it took him most of the first half of the season to get back in a semblance of game shape and game effectiveness. He looked like his dominating self in the Nov. 10 game against the Raiders but came out of that game with a damaged right shoulder. He played the following week and came away with the game-clinching interception and return for a touchdown against the Packers. He made it through 27 defensive snaps in the pivotal loss to the Cowboys and last week missed the first game of his four-year NFL career, not making the trip to Washington to face the Redskins.

“It was painful,’’ JPP said of the Cowboys game. “What I expected to do, I didn’t. I expected to go out there and have a great game but it got to a point where I went out there and only on third downs, only had 27 snaps and throughout my career I never had that. I’m a guy that played mostly all the snaps. I won’t come out unless I have to.

“There was a point they pulled me. I’m out there rushing with one arm, one shoulder. It’s all on film. I’m trying, I’m trying, it gets to a point where you can’t be Superman, you just got to sit down, let the next guy take your place and hopefully he does better than you.’’

His return is now based on his ability “to be a factor and know I can protect myself,’’ he said. The shoulder issue is not new, as Pierre-Paul said he’s dealt with it in some form the past two seasons. He does not believe he will need surgery and says he is rehabbing the injury “24/7, even at home, so hopefully it can get better before the season’s over with.’’

Even if he returns this season, he won’t be fully healthy.

“I know point blank, period next year when I come back healthy I don’t think there’s gonna be a tackle that can even stop me, point blank, period,’’ JPP said.

As the Giants practiced on Wednesday, Pierre-Paul was far off to the side, working with a trainer.

“As far as playing, I can’t really tell you when I’m going to play,’’ he said. “I’m just taking it day-by-day.’’